Heartbeat Hands
by y-ye
Summary: He knew every sound they made, every strand of hair swishing, every stuttering breath, every popped joint. The heartbeats were what he liked best, though. So much more could be read from a heart than a face. Strong hearts, anxious hearts, excited hearts, planning hearts. He could feel the sounds on his skin.


The one thing about Hinata Shouyou his opponents and team alike always noticed before a game were his wide, brilliant eyes. Burning orange and black and white shadowed with the single minded need to win. The eyes of a crow on the street who plots to steal your shiny bits and bobs, or make a meal of your fresh hotdog. Street smart. Physically smart, despite his diminutive appearance.

Not that he was really looking at them. When he stared at them like that, it was really his ears he was using. He knew every sound they made, every strand of hair swishing, every stuttering breath, every popped joint. The heartbeats were what he liked best, though. So much more could be read from a heart than a face. Strong hearts, anxious hearts, excited hearts, planning hearts. He could feel the sounds on his skin.

o~o~o

The fixation Hinata had on sound wasn't something he usually talked about. It was just who he was. Do people usually talk about how they prefer to look at things rather than touch them when they first meet people? No. So neither did he mention how he listened to their words and their heart work.

What really surprises Hinata is how quickly Tsukishima catches on.

"Sometimes you forget to look at people when you talk." It's said in the cacophony of noise the middle of a bus ride to a game is filled with. Glancing at Tsukishima with unfocused eyes, he swallows. The headphones around Tsukishima's neck are playing some jazz song he half remembers he's heard before, quietly enough he shouldn't be able to hear it. Not too unlike Tsukishima's heart, but with less weight. He really should focus, but his eyes need to rest before the match, and the grey of unseeing fuzz is soothing. He even tries to tune out most of what should be white noise.

"What? No I don't," And though the rebuttal is late, Hinata makes his voice sound miffed but slightly curious.

"Yes, you do." The voice has shifted slightly to the left, and Hinata turned his eyes accordingly. "You follow where my voice is, not my face. Why?" The smugness in his tone is rough like a cat's tongue barely softened barrier of cloth. If Hinata had been playing more attention, Tsukishima wouldn't have noticed. Dang.

"Don't wanna," He barely gets out before he winces at the change of Tsukishima's heart beat. Disappointment was like reaching for smooth stones in a strong current. He hated it. "Fine! Fine. Eeeh, it's like... I hear a lot better than most people? A lot better than I can see, anyway."

"Hm. Bold words for someone who doesn't know how to listen. How well can you hear?" Sighing loudly, Hinata lets all the sounds filter back in.

"Well, that depends. Would you believe that Noya-senpai is feeling up Asahi three seats ahead of us?" There's a creak of faux leather as Tsukishima shifts, not even having to stand with his massive height to check. His heartbeat jumps a bit, half out of surprise but also of bitten back laughter like waves rolling in to touch Hinata's toes. It's a good sound. "Also, you're laughing."

"No I'm not." There's a bit of confusion in his tone as his heartbeat slows.

"You are, in your heart. I can hear that too."

"Creepy." He bristles at Tsukishima's drawl, the way it brushes like steel wool against him. But he doesn't mean it that way. "Well, why can you hear so well?"

"My vision sucks!" And the complaint is out before he can think about it, but then he smiles because it's true. "I mean, I can see, but not very well. I don't want to wear stupidly strong bifocals, and that I gets around just fine without them."

"What are you, a bat?" There's curiosity in there somewhere, so much like Natsu's that he almost wants to explain. But the bus rolls to a stop under them, and it will be a long time before he has the chance to explain it where no one else will listen.

o~o~o

When he realizes he's lost his team, too caught up it running forward, he finds the singularly most alluring heartbeat he's ever heard mixed it with the dull tap of fingers against a cellphone screen.

It's soft, but with a slight irregular beat of focus, like running fingers up a cat's tail only to find the crook at the end. There was anxiety, pushing it claws in and out just on top of his skin but never quite grazing him. There was something about it Hinata didn't quite know what to call. But it was perfect.

He has to talk to him. Maybe he'll never meet him again. But he just has to know the other in this moment, with a heartbeat so alive and soothing.

"What're you doing~?"

"Erh. Ermm. Ah." His voice isn't too shaky, but constantly stopping to think. It's kinda nice. "I... got lost...?"

"Eh? You came here from a different part of Japan?" The guy peers up at him for a moment before ducking his head back down to his phone. Probably texting someone, or looking at a map.

"Yeah." And then the silence reigns, Hinata unsure of what to say as the phone made small noises that alternated with Kenma's heartbeat. It didn't sound like any keyboard he'd heard before... Making his way over, he crouches beside the fun and stares at the muddled colors of the screen.

"Is that fun?"

"Er, uhm. This... Not really... It's just a way to kill time." Hinata hums back, trying to make out Kenma's face. His hair is easy enough to figure out- the roots probably need to be bleached, unless the guy wants pudding hair. Glancing around, he spots the gym bag and makes out the shoes. They're a familiar shape.

"AH!" Kenma's heartbeat suddenly quickens drastically, looking up at Hinata when he stands. "Those are volleyball shoes! You play volleyball?"

"Ah. Yeah..."

"I play too! I'm Hinata Shouyou!" He bounces on his heels as Kenma stares at him for a long moment, mouth gaping slightly. Then he turns back to his phone, not uncomfortable but unsure of something.

"...Kozume..."

"Hm? Kozume? Is that your name?"

"Kozume Kenma..." It's a good name.

They talk for a while, and it's nice to hear Kenma's heartbeat ease up the more he talks. What's even better is how Kenma says his height isn't a disadvantage, in a roundabout way. Then there's this brief show of confidence where he admits he thinks his team is strong, where his heart beat stronger, and Hinata has to pause for a second himself to take it all in.

"Which school..." Because he has to know, he has to find out how far he has to reach to meet this person again. "Do yo-"

"Kenma!" And this is a good heartbeat too, but louder, more like stiff thistle blooms. Kenma's heartbeat automatically picks up in interest and Hinata wants to know why.

"Ah. It's Kuroo." He raises himself from his seat automatically. Hinata makes a noise, somewhat lonesome, and Kenma turns back automatically even as he falls in beside Kuroo. "Well, until next time, Shouyou."

Next time? The promise in those simple words excites him, and so does the conviction. A strong wind on a hot day. Waving as he left, he tried to figure out why Kenma thought they'd see each other so soon. Ah, maybe he should call him Kozume.

"Kozume..." he mutters as the two wander out of sight, before realizing he needed to get back himself. No, not yet.

o~o~o

Meeting Kenma again startles him, and he can feel the guilt Kenma has when he sees how it kinda upset Hinata. But it's okay.

When they practice match begins, that steady, quiet confidence is in Kenma's heartbeat again. It's not quite interest, or excitement, but it's there and Hinata has the shake himself out of playing too much attention to it. He has bigger problems to deal with- such as Inuoka.

o~o~o

As surprising as Kenma appearing out of nowhere and plucking his phone out of his hands the moment he takes it out is, he still lets him do it. Watching as he uses infrared to share their contact details, Hinata beams. He hadn't even had to ask. Kuroo is there too, watching. Hinata's not really sure why.

He leaves soon after, but not without letting Kenma know he'll text him every night and try to call him often. Kuroo trying to hide a laugh under a cough, but Kenma just nods twice with interest thrumming in his veins.

How long will it be until Hinata can see him again? How long until he can hear this heartbeat again? How long will he be content with his voice alone?


End file.
